Marketing 101

Over the summer I attended a seminar about Marketing for the artist. It was sponsored by Cottonwood Center for the Arts.

The panel of experts consisted of the heads of two local tv stations and two local newspapers, along with reps of an advertising agency and a local gallery. They were all knowledgeable, friendly and very willing to share their experience and expetise with those in attendance. And I wanted to share what I found out with you.

Marketing is a necessary part of selling anything - books, artwork, tangible or intangible items. Marketing oneself can be hard. But who knows you and your product better than YOU! So YOU are the best one equipped to market yourself and your goods.

The biggest part of marketing something is getting the public to know about you and your item. The more interesting you are (life experiences, places lived, etc.), then it is more likely that the public will take notice of you and/or your work. 

Blogging was, and still is, a great way for the public to learn about you and whatever you create.  Social media is also another almost imperative publicity outlet in today's marketplace.  

Here are some pointers when writing a press release or a notice for a media outlet.

• ·         Cater your story to the media outlet - A write-up for a social media source may be shorter and more personal than one for a newspaper
• ·         Create a human interest story – go behind the scenes of the person (YOU!) written about in the press release
• ·         Write the press release with people in mind – create a hook to draw them in
• ·        Press releases or articles should only be one page – short and concise, important info at the top, do not stray from topic, boiler plate info at bottom
• ·         Press release should be one paragraph for tv coverage
• ·         Add pictures or video to online press releases - use metatags (labels) to increase visibility, online press releases (via Facebook, Twitter, or online media calendars) receive approx. 3x the views as printed matter (newspapers, magazines)
• ·         Create an ongoing relationship with media or business organizations
• ·         Collaboration with others increases visibility
• ·         Provide quality material to leave a quality impression